Cowboys' San Antonio training camp in trouble?

Posted on: July 12, 2011 9:02 am

Edited on: July 12, 2011 9:13 am

Posted by Ryan Wilson

On July 3, with no concrete date for when the lockout would end, we posted a story about the Dallas Cowboys setting a July 29 training camp date in San Antonio. At the time, we took it as a good sign that the owners and players would soon have a new collective bargaining agreement, and that the 2011 NFL season would be safely underway at that point.

On July 2, Mike Sawaya, who heads San Antonio's convention, sports and entertainment facilities, told the San Antonio Express-News that the Cowboys will start moving equipment into the building on July 25, and the annual pep rally and concert to kick off training camp is set for July 28. Sawaya said that the team has the dome reserved through August 13.

But on Monday, two Cowboys sources told FoxSportsSouthwest.com's Matt Mosley that it's hard to imagine the scenario Sawaya described earlier this month.

"It does not look good," said one of the sources regarding the Cowboys holding any portion of their camp in San Antonio.

Several teams have already canceled their out-of-town training camps for something closer to home because of the likelihood of a compressed schedule leading up to the regular season. The Jets, Giants and Vikings will hold camps at their team training facilities, but Mosley thinks that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will hold off on a decision until the last minute because of the good relationship the fans of San Antonio have with the team.

The Express-News initially reported that Cowboys could be forced to move training camp to Irving, Texas if the lockout drags on beyond mid-July, and while the team hasn't officially made an announcement, it now looks like a distinct possibility.